The Path To Enlightenment

You're Not Really a Vegan

2010-04-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

As any vegan will tell you, the vegan lifestyle is one of commitment to idea that no living being should subjected to pain or cruelty for our personal comfort (working under the premise that animal derived materials are not nutritionally or otherwise necessary to our survival). That is why, like most vegans, I get particularly annoyed when I listed to interviews such as the recent NPR interview with author Hugh Raffles who publically declared that he was a vegan but only when in "control" of his food.

His philosophy is that food is a deeply personal subject and the host of Science Friday affirmed his position of not wanting to "offend" anyone who would prepare him a non-vegan meal. I would tend to agree with the first part of his argument, that food is a deeply personal subject. What I choose to ingest is a reflection of my own moral code and philosophy about the world, likewise my place within it. That said, why then would anyone choose to put something into their body that contradicts their supposed moral code? To do so would be, simply put, inmoral.

As someone who has travelled the world, frequently finding myself invited to the dinner table of complete strangers who, at times, can barely afford to feed themselves; I fail to see why one cannot maintain an ethical diet regardless of who is in "control" of their food. It takes very little effort to explain your diet upon receiving an invitation to dinner and I have yet to encounter anyone that did not want to eagerly accomodate. Such invitations are often the opportunity to educate for your cause as well.

I do, however, strongly take exception to the premise that one is ever not in "control" of their food, for the above stated reasoning. I will grant the exception to select population of people who are prisoners of one sort or another. But in most all foreseeable circumstances, we are generally free people. We are free to make choices about our food everytime we sit down at the table.

I also take exception to the idea that we do not want to offend our hosts. If you are calling yourself a vegan, I presume that you feel it to be wrong to cause pain and suffering to other animals. So how do you rationalize that the presumed delicate sensitivities of one animal (i.e. your host) are now suddenly more important than the life of inhumane captivity and ultimate bloody death of another. I will agree that pain is pain and should not be inflicted if avoidable, but I also recognize that there are varying psychological degrees of pain and that the latter is certainly worse than the former.

If you are reading this blog and can identify with Mr. Raffles, you are obviously entitled to your beliefs and free to live your life as you see fit. I only ask one thing of you, do us vegans a favor and refrain from referring to yourself as one. In the end, you only seek to weaken the cause and confuse the general public, making things harder for those of us with the moral fortitude to stick to our beliefs and who have to come behind you to clarify the issue once again.

Take the Brave Next Step

2010-03-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

On February 8, 2010 vegans around the world took a collective sigh as they shook their heads in disappointment once again. We were lured into yet another interview with someone who was publicly chastizing the meat industry for its cruel treatment of animals and the adverse health effects of pumping our bodies with hormone and fat-laiden animal flesh. Our disappointment came quickly, though, as within seconds of beginning his interview on the Colbert Report, Jonathan Safran Foer qualified his stance by clearly proclaiming that he does not advocate the complete adoptation of vegetarian diet. Once again we came so close only to land shy of the mark.

The list is long; Michael Pollen, Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser, Morgan Spurlock, and many more who have espoused the social, ethical and environmental evils of our current carnivorous diets only to stop short at recommending the obvious solution of veganisms. As clear as the answer may seem, that if we want to curtail the levels of environmental pollutants produced by our modern agricultural system, that if we want to put an end to the needless suffering of billions of sentient beings, that if we want to reduce the exploitation of illegal migrant workers, that if we want to live longer and healthier lives we need to abandon our carnivorous ways in favor of a healthier, more humane plant-based diet; we are still collectively unable to listen to, much less accept the lessons of anyone who is willing to share them with the public. Are we that entrenched in our own personal gratifications that we can no longer accept what is true and what is right for fear that we may actually have to re-evaluate our way of living? When did we become so egotistical as to believe what is comfortable for us should trump what is just for others?

I ask, no I plead, with the rest of my fellow citizens of the world to put aside our desires and to take that brave next step toward doing what is necessary for the survival and well-being of all the inhabitants of this small planet of ours, great or small.

Thank the Gods for People Like You (not)...

2009-05-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

So NPR, the bane of my existence for both my addiction to it and its seemingly Needles ability to piss me off, was interviewing a columnist the other day regarding his “extreme frugality” during these tough economic times (NPR Talk of the Nation May 21, 2009). He starts out by telling us that his family was easily spending three times their income thanks to the miracle of credit cards. First off, a royal fuck you asshole since you are exactly the kind of people who got us into this current economic crisis. But, this not an economic blog so I’ll get to the point…

As an attempt to live within their means, this columnist took to bragging about how he learned to freeze milk he bought on sale and to raise his own chickens. Rather than going to the grocery store with a list of items he would send the family to fan out through the store looking for whatever was on sale. He reeled in delight at the idea of “providing nutition for a week” for his family after finding highly discounted juice drinks and admitted that it was more convenient than spending the time to make his own.

That is where he earned a second fuck you asshole! If you cannot be bothered to spend the time to prepare your family healthy, wholesome, natural foods… then you do not deserve to have a family. Asside from the large carbon footprint you place on the rest of us because of your admitted laziness, why should your family’s health suffer for it as well. You really want to save money and provide “nutrition” for your family? Here are some real tips.

Stop raising the chickens, they cost you money and consume water and food. They are an unnatural species that have no ecological niche in the world therefore we have no business raising them. Since they are living creatures which you have taken into your home, you are now obligated to care for them for the rest of their natural lives but you need not allow them to reproduce to keep up your flock. Replace their cholesterol laiden eggs with vitamin-rich (and protein-rich) tofu in your diet and you will be much better off for it.

Second, stop consuming milk. Again, huge carbon footprint for very little nutritional value, so why bother? You want calcium, grow and eat green veggies in a backyard garden. How’s that for frugal? Besides, studies show that consuming animal protein lowers our blood pH levels resulting in the release of more calcium from our bones to raise it again and resulting in a net loss of overall calcium in our bodies. While some studies suggest the same for plant proteins, sources of plant proteins tend to have higher concentration of potassium which decrease the amount of calcium leached into our bloodstreams.

Finally, stop buying crap food at the grocery store. Stay away from anything that comes in a box, can or plastic bag. Better yet, stop going to the grocery store. If you are too lazy to start your own garden then go to the local farmers’ market where you can load up on a ton of fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies for a fraction of the cost of going to the grocery store. Sure, you might actually have to learn how to cook and you might have less free time because of it, but your doctor’s will love you and so will the planet (not to mention the animals you are currently enslaving).

And, of course, I cannot close this blog without sending off a large royal fuck you asshole to NPR for covering this story in such a manner as suggest that these people are doing something revolutionary and amazing for themselves and society. In fact, they are only trying to find ways to justify and maintain their previous (over) consumerism and unsustainable lifestyle. Why not interview those of us who are really doing something revolutionary? Or are you afraid you might actually have to reflect on your own inadequacies?

Thanks Again Carnivores...

2009-04-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there were rabies and the plague, later we had monkeypox, West Nile, Legionnaires' and now the avian and porcine flue strains and even SARS is believed to have originated from the consumption of the endangered masked palm civet in China. Whether directly or indirectly, humans' unsatiable desire for the flesh of animals has always and continues to put us in danger of contracting deadly, virulent diseases. In fact, the Center for Disease Control has identified at least 120 disease carried by animals that can be spread to animals, otherwise known as zoonoses.

It is bad enough the general, meat-eating public is so selfish as to destroy the environment and desimate wild populations of animals for the sake of their personal culinary delights. One could argue that the ensuing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and the whole host of other health effects related to high meat diets is their punishment. The rest of us should be free to sleep well at night guilt-free for our much longer, healthy lives but that is hardly the case.

Thanks to the general population's unwillingness to sacrafice even a pound of their highly prized affordable flesh, everyone has to suffer as new strains of viruses make the jump from livestock to humans only to be spread like wildfire across the globe, even to us vegans. Still, while our first instinct may be to curse and lay blame as hide out in the relative safety of our homes, avoiding the infected public, we should take the opportunity to pause and reflect on our own contributions to the spread of these diseases.

Our veganism does not make us innocent of any wrong doing. We are just as guilty for the spread of the pig flu (or whichever other zoonoses is in the news) as the meat eaters. While we may not be guilty in our actions, we are surely guilty in our complacency for you see it is not merely enough to refrain from the flesh of others and to turn a blind eye to the amoral behaviors of our friends, families and coleagues. Rather, we should be vocal and loudly so about the negative effects their gastronomical requirements are having on the rest of us, not too mention on the poor animals and the environment.

And why not? Afterall, do we not make it a point these days to condemn the smokers an the drug addicts for financial and emotional drains on society? Why should eating meat be any different?

Do us a favor... and shut up!

2008-12-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

The hits just keep on coming from NPR. Today I was forced to listen to an interview on the NPR Environment podcast with a author proceeded to expell his deep admiration and fondness for animals and nature. How does this author show his sentiment? By hunting them, of course. He was on NPR discussing his recent spiritual journey of winning a special lottery which allowed him to hunt bison in Alaska.

The author discribes how he put the animal in his cross-hairs, pulled the trigger and the animal fell immediately, sliding down the slope and into a thicket of trees where it was found dead. He says he had studied bison since his childhood and had always wanted to be a part of this majestic animals American heritage but not by slaughtering hundreds or thousands of them as the settlers and Native Americans did. No this 'honorable' man made the decision that he was only going to kill one, no more. How fucking noble... jackass!

I know he probably does not read this blog (does anybody?), but if he is this is what I have to say... If you really want to do something to be a part of this living creature's heritage, why not dedicate your time to protecting it and to educating the people about its plight? People like you make me sick. You put yourselves on these holy-than-thou pedestals, making yourselves out to be so righteous and noble when all you really want to do is create justifications for your blood-lust which any true environmentalist with half a sense of logic would easily condemn.

So please, do all of us real environmentalists and nature lovers a favor and shut the fuck up! You do not help the cause a single bit, rather you create more work for the rest of us who have to explain the flaws in your reasoning and explain, just that much harder, what it really means to respect all life and the environment.

Yet another WTF moment, thanks to NPR

2008-12-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

The other day I was riding the bus to work and listening to a podcast of NPR's program Day to Day. It was an older episode, from Thanksgiving day but due to my schedule I often find myself struggling to keep up. Since I live outside the U.S. I still make an effort to listen to every episode. Aside from the fact that it saves me from having to watch Mexican telenovelas, I still feel obligated to try to keep up to date on current events in the states.

I have taken many issues with NPR over the years as they often find ways to insult or frustrate me (as a fairly liberal thinking person, that should be argument number one against anyone that claims NPR is part of the liberal media elite). Due to Thanksgiving being the primary topic on everyone's mind, NPR felt it appropriate to interview an elderly woman-farmer from Colorado. The premise of the show was how delicious and sought-after her free-range turkeys were around this time of the year, and why.

The program started off with the reporter describing how she slits the turkeys' throats and allows the blood to drain from the muscles before dipping them in scalding water to remove their feathers. Ironically, he then says that he will spare us the gory details. Excuse me, but what the hell do you call that? It's hardly Disney appropriate. I'm sure the other bus passengers must have noticed the look of horror on my face as I listened.

A little further into the story, the woman describes how important it is to take good care of your animals if you are farmer and then, she says, you slaughter them. "You can't get emotional about it," she says. To paraphrase her, she continues that it has to be done or you don't eat. A statement that I am sure had every vegetarian listening saying a collective "What the fuck!" Millions of people are living proof to the contrary of this statement.

I take issue with this woman on two counts. First, the heartlessness with which she slaughters these living beings is indicative of many societal problems today. I find it hard to believe that anyone that can be so cruel, so cold, so removed from his/her current situation can simply turn that on and off at will. There absolutely has to be some spill-over into the rest of their lives, directly or indirectly, and is why so many people can turn their heads to the plight of so many suffering people as well as animals.

Second, is the obvious vegetarian logic: it definitely is not necessary to eat. It is possible to survive, and in fact be healthier, if you do allow yourself to be emotional about it. In fact, if you really want to make sure that everyone eats, we all need to switch to a vegan diet. There simply is not enough land and water available on the planet to feed everyone meat. Especially not in any humane way.

At the end of the story she talks about her perceived need to teach the younger ones in her family (presumably her children or grandchildren) the trade of turkey (and stated cow and chicken) farming so that her farm can continue. I do not know what is more sad, that millions of living beings will continue to be murdered thanks to her or that another generation will learn to turn-off their hearts at the sight of sentient beings' pain.

Phonies Not Wanted...

2008-10-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have had time to post to this blog, unfortunately. Computer problems have got the best of me and, for the time being, I am on limited Internet access. Nonetheless, I have been wanting to write about this for a while...

Being in the Peace Corps has put me in contact with a significant number of like-minded people. Generally speaking that is. However, it has also put me in contact with more than a few people that, I hate to admit, bring shame to all that I hold dear. For it's left-of-center nature mission, PC naturally attracts many vegetarians. Unfortunately, a few of them I wish would stop telling people they are vegetarian.

You see, to be a vegetarian (and particularly a vegan) is to say that you recognize the world to be a cruel and violent place, at times, and that you want to make a conscious effort not perpetuate this situation. As the saying goes: if you're not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. There really are no neutral parties in the world. Even by doing nothing, you can still be silently supporting injustice. Basically, it is a moral decision (though with many health and environmental benefits).

Several fellow volunteers, upon finding out that I am a vegetarian, have proceeded to tell me how they were vegetarians as well until they entered the PC but now find it "too difficult or impossible" to maintain such a comitment during the service. Some have fallen so far off the wagon that they no longer can see the horses ass which pulled it. They are effectively undoing whatever good their untold number of years of vegetarianism may have provided the world.

I have seen so called 'vegetarians' devour legs of chicken and turkey like it was corn-on-the-cob, slurp down worms and insects like speghetti and one even bragged about her recent experience in a Mexican version of a running of the bulls in which one bull had to be shot after trying break free of the panic-filled street and find his freedom for which every living animal yearns to have. Let's say, just for the moment, that it really is necessary to eat meat in order to survive a tour of duty with the PC... does that really mean you have to take it to the extreme of outrightly supporting events that serve to frighten and prolong the death of an animal - essentially torturing it?

But the sad reality is that is not necessary to eat meat to serve in the PC. These other volunteers speak of how difficult it would be in their sites if they were vegetarian or of not wanting to miss out on the real cultural interchange of their experience. Give me a fucking break! Like it is easy to be a vegetarian in the United States. I am certain that I have received more ridicule from my friends and family in the U.S. than I have here. It's a sacrafice, a sacrafice for a greater good. By definition it is not going (nor probably should be) "easy." That's what makes it such a powerful statement. Not too mention that produce is unbelievably cheap here if you buy it in the local market (and I would find very hard to believe that there is a part of the world where some type - no matter limited in variety - of produce is not available). Sure, eating out may be difficult in some parts of Mexico (or the world), but get off your lazy ass and learn how to cook. It's cheaper and healthier.

Secondly, I have been down here for a year now and am probably more deeply entrenched in the culture in which I live than any other volunteer in Mexico. I have almost no contact with anyone who speaks English. I am a godfather to an adorable 3 year old Mexican girl. My weekends are generally spent hecticly running from one wedding, birthday party or social event to another. I date a Mexican woman and have been openly welcomed into her family. I never miss an opportunity to head to a festival or turn down an invitation to go to the country-side for an afternoon of drinking pulque and eating rural foods. All my friends, family, coworkers and villagers whom I have met know that I do not eat meat and have graciously accomodated me - with significantly less frustration than anyone I know in the U.S.

In the end, when you go around telling people that you were once a vegetarian by now eat meat because it is "easier," you give off the impression that what we real vegetarians are doing is a mere lifestyle choice that can be abandoned at will. Maybe for you phonies, that is the case. The result, for the rest of us, is that we have to deal with now mis-informed people who plead with us to try this or that piece of flesh, "just this once" because you are "with them" and it "won't hurt anything." Now I have to seem like the jackass as I try to re-educate them that my not eating meat is not a dietary choice like not eating carbs but rather a deep-seeded moral philosophy to cause the unnecessary harm to any sentient being and that, yes, my eating this with you will hurt something... the animal which was killed, the environment, my health, my integrity and the very moral foundation of existence.

So to all you phonies: please stop! Stop telling people you were once a vegetarian. Stop trying to take credit for the moral high-ground without making any of the sacrafices the rest of us are making. And more importantly, stop being a phony and look into your heart to decide what it really is that you hold to be true.

Fanatically Proud!

2008-08-31T08:52:00.001-07:00

In a recent work-related workshop on the other side of the country, a fellow PC volunteer referred to me as being "fanatic" about my vegetarianism while I explaining my motives to my Mexican friend seated at the table. There was a point in my life when this would have bothered me and I would have shut up and gone back to my morally superior meal. Within the last few years, however, I have found my voice and began speaking out for those who cannot speak out for themselves. My move to Mexico last year was particularily hard for me since my new found voice was silenced by inability to express myself fully in Spanish.

During this past year I have often found myself replying to questions about my vegetarianism with short, concise answers most likely perceived as rude based on cultural norms here because that was all I could do. But, here we are a year later and Spanish has improved greatly so when my friend questioned my motives for not eating animals I responded first with my moral rational. When he questioned the nutritional value of such a diet, I counter argued the typical protein myth. When he fell back on the "well everyone else is doing it" argument, I reiteritated the resulting environmental damage.

In short, I found voice again but this time in Spanish. So when my friend tried to shame me into silence with her comment that I was a fanatic I said "yes, I am, and proud of it." Sorry your attempt to make yourself feel better by making me feel worse did not work. As I later explained to my Mexican friend (as the conversation carried on much later, past the cafeteria) you have to understand one vital concept: while this topic may be new to you, I have been dealing with in for twenty-two years now. In essence I have heard it all and experienced it all and the days of feeling guilty for doing what is morally, nutritionally and environmentally right are long over.

Oh My Fucking God... We're All Going to Die!!!!!

2008-08-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

That is what they mind-as-well call any "healthy living" article. After all, most are written not so much in a helpful, advice-y tone but rather a shocking expose telling us that whatever we are eating is not as healthy as we thought. The true shock is that 1) someone actually gets paid to research this stuff and 2) someone actually gets paid to write this stuff.

I mean come on now, breaking news: diet soda is not healthy (that was actually in an article I read today). If you happen to be one of those people who thought diet soda was actually good for you... please stop reading this blog, the thoughts contained herein are going to be too complex for you (that is assuming these people can even read). Before you go, however, please leave me your full name address so that I can call Child Protection Services to come and remove your offspring from a clearly dangerous and unhealthy living environment.

Is this how collectively stupid we have become as a society? Do really need rocket-scientists to tell us process foods bad, natural whole foods good? The one that really set me off today (and I have no idea why I continue to read these things) is linked below. The headline: "Is soy bad for the brain?" Their conclusion, in a word: yes. How did they come to this conclusion by observing 700 elderly Indonesians who ate tofu at least once per day. Did I mention they were elderly?

My grandfather has mild dimentia related to Parkinson's Disease and ate meat and potatoes his whole life. My point is he is old, old people get dimentia for a variety of reasons, they're OLD! How do we know these 700 men in Indonesia got dimentia as a result of eating soy and not contaminated fish or living close to a (probably U.S.) military base or chemicals in their water supply. There are simply to many externalities in such a study to be able to point the finger difinitively at any one single cause. To do so is irresponsible to the masses of people that will ignorantly avoid all soy now as a result of reading this, thus losing its vast nutritional benefits which other studies have shown to be correlated to longetivity and vitality in populations world wide. Any scientist worth his/her grain of salt will tell you that correlation does not equal causation, to claim otherwise is - simply put - bad science.

The article goes on to infer that we should all be eating fish because it is high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Just as the article did not bother to mention all the nutritional benefits of soy it does not mention that world's fish populations have been desimated by commercial fishing and many commerical species are in danger of extinction as a result. It does not mention that fish bio-accumulate toxins that we put into the environment, transferring those toxins to us when we eat them... the nervous system damaging Mercury being a common one of these. And I won't even go into the ethical implications of eating a sentient being. Can anyone say vast right-wing conspiracy? ...If you eat tofu and don't eat dead animals, well shit you're just not American!

For the record... canola and flaxseed oils are also high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Another fact that the author failed to mention. Guess she assumes we should all be cooking with lard.

Here's the full article:
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/alzheimers-disease/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100212805&GT1=31003

Modern Slavery

2008-08-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Their muscles tightened and strained and their bodies sunk low to the ground as the men slapped them and yelled them. The poor mules were tied to large, fallen tree trunk that were expected to drag down the mountain. Clearly, they did not want to pull such heavy loads - or any load for that matter. Still, the men shouted and slapped until they were eventually spooked into moving only to find that it was not quite so easy. One gets tangled around a stump as he runs in circles trying to pull the load while the other is practically on his knees trying to get his log started down the steep slope. At the bottom, the inertia of the logs and the power of gravity cause the logs to nearly run over these non-human slaves.

Normally, I would never advocate the burning of fossil fuels. I will not deny that an alternative must exist, but this torture is not it. My companions began to talk of how strong but stupid the mules were to be doing such a task. I interjected that, strong as they may be, they were not that strong. I asked why we would say it is stupid to not want to strain yourself so; potentially causing injury? An agreement on the matter was not reached. It would appear that in these advanced, civilized times it still remains perfectly acceptable to judge another living being's pain and suffering as somehow less or unimportant simply because they are different.

Say No To Plastic...

2008-08-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is not directly a vegan issue but seeing as how it impacts animals I felt it was worth sharing. Please click the title and scroll through the slideshow. Then, pass it on to your friends.

What's up with doctors?

2008-08-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, I get it. You spent a small fortune on 8+years of schooling, you studied biology and the human body down to the most intricate details... I swear if I break my leg or develop a strange rash you will be the first people to whom I run. However, you did not study nutrition and food science so why do feel compelled to provide unsolicited advice about such matters?

My girlfriend recently went to the doctor for a skin rash on her arm. While there she mentioned that she recently quit eating meat to which the doctor replied "you need to increase your protein consumption." She said there is plenty of protein in plant foods. He said "it's not the same." WTF????

I may not be a "doctor" nor a dietition, but I have been a vegetarian for 22 years. During my life I have made it a point to read just about every health and nutrition article I could (and can continue to get) my hands on. I have listened to countless radio programs and podcasts and have watched countless more television programs. I will not be as arrogant to say I am an expert, but I will say I am likely to be far more informed on the subject than a general practicioner or dermetologist.

So before your doctor scares you down a misguided path of unhealthy living, consider this. The overwhelming majority of research points to a well-balanced, plant-based diet as the healthiest way to eat and a likely contributor in risk reductions for many ailments including several cancers. The FDA's food pyramid is not a product of well-researched health but rather the lobbying efforts of the agricultural and meat industries. Americans' weights are increasing rapidly, so are rates of cancers, heart attacks and diabetes. Modern food science research suggests that protein complementing is not necessary for receiving "complete" proteins as previously thought in the '70s and '80s. Some of the richest sources of protein on earth come from plants (beans, peanuts and their variations especially tofu, tempeh and seytan) and plant foods are naturally cholestrol and saturated fat free. Many of the world's top athletes (triathaletes, sprinters, baseball and football players and even Mr. Olympians) are vegan.

So remind me again why I should listen to you doc? For the record, my girlfriend and I live in Mexico. Bean are a staple of our diets as is this case with most Mexicans. We devour bags of peanuts in single sittings without batting an eye almost daily not too mention all the peanut butter and soy products we consume. She came to you for rash she got after a vacation in Acapulco. She is not tired or sick. So why don't you just hand over some cream and keep your ill-informed, antiquated advice to yourself?

Yes, I'm a Vegan...

2008-06-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this and are a vegan, you can probably relate to what about to say. At times it can be hard to deal with the rest of the world. Few seem to understand why we do what we do. We are often discrimated against because of our "choice. I would strongly argue, however, that for those of us enlightened to truth about our food, there really seems to be no choice involved - though on second thought I guess we always have a choice even if we do not like the choices presented to us. I have had to sit hungrily through many catered company functions and I have, at times, worn out the bottoms of my shoes walking around strange cities looking for a vegan-friendly dining option.

Still, I can deal with all that. What does really get to me are the seemingly endless supply of mis-informed people out there when it comes to nutrition. Deep down inside I know it is not their faults. After all, they are simply products of our culture. How can I blame them when our government, including our schools, has been hijacked by agricultural lobbyists? We live in a brainwashed society, as such I feel a moral obligation to try to undo their brainwashing. Nonetheless, I often find myself frustrated and my patience tried when I receive one or any of the following inevitable questions regarding my diet:

Where do you get your protein? Well, the same place as the cows... from the plants I eat and, no, I do not have to watch my diet to make sure I eat beans and rice to receive a complete protein. Every living thing uses proteins as chemical messangers and building blocks within their bodies. What works for a cow doesn't necessarily work for a human so our bodies break down all proteins into their amino acids to be recycled into proteins for us to use. These amino acids are the same in plants, animals and every other living organism. Our bodies do not care where they come from, only that we get them, and as I just stated every living organism has them.
What about vitamin B12? True, this vitamin is only found naturally in meat - more precisely, the bacteria on decaying meat. Luckily, due to a fairly common deficiency throughout the population and not just vegans, it is also commonly used to fortify all soy products and many of the healthier cereals.
But aren't fish the best source of Omega-3 fatty acids? Fish are high in O-3 FA but they get it from marine plant life that they consume. Thank the gods for asparagus and advocado rolls. O-3 FA's are also found in various cooking oils, so if you stop eating fast food all the time and start cooking for yourself and go out for something healthier - say veggie sushi - when do go out, no problem. Various seeds and nuts are also high in this, like flaxseeds and walnuts. Don't be afraid to sprinkle them on your food every now and then.
Why don't you consume dairy and eggs? The animals didn't die to provide these. Because they may not have died to provide them, but they were kept in unnatural conditions that, even in the best (i.e. free range) farms are no where near the conditions they would choose for themselves if only given the option. Besides, they are still commodified animals and when their production value drops they will end on someone's plate all the same. And let's not forget that the dairy industry supports the production of veal (where do think all the male calves end up after being taken away from the artificially inseminated mothers go?).
Do you really think that you are making any difference? Did Martin Luther King, Jr.? Did Rosa Parks? Did Susan B. Anthony? Our history is riddled with the stories of single people starting a movement that eventually changed the way we think about the world. And even if that change never comes, I can at least die saying that I lived what I believed... and that's called integrity people. That's a lot more than many other people can say for themselves.

As Ghandi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."